Barr for AG and Nauert for UN Ambassador

From the Left

The left is divided on Barr and critical of Nauert’s lack of diplomatic experience.

From the Right

The right praises Barr and Nauert.

Many are skeptical of Barr’s expansive view of presidential authority. “If the past two years have taught the nation anything... it’s that the Trump administration needs an attorney general who welcomes more, not less, transparency and accountability for its actions — a legal officer who can provide assurances that the federal government works for the American public and not for any one person.”

New York Times

Others note, “no doubt [he] champions a strong presidency, and he has publicly endorsed the controversial idea of the ‘unitary executive’... Barr sees the president’s power as wide-ranging and reposed in the president alone; but he does not see it as limitless... In our current straits — with an abominable acting attorney general and the real concern that the president might have selected a crusading, unqualified loyalist to head the department — Bill Barr is a big step in the right direction.”

Washington Post

It’s worth noting that as attorney general, “Barr pushed an aggressive ‘law and order’ agenda on both immigration and street crime... Whether or not Trump knows it, he’s picked an attorney general who knows how to run the kind of immigration policy Trump likes: one that cracks down first and asks questions later.”

“With no policymaking or negotiating experience, and after 20 months as a spokeswoman for the state department, Nauert will take her seat on the security council alongside counterparts with decades of experience...

“Nauert is not expected to be given cabinet status, downgrading the role to being largely a mouthpiece for the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, and the national security adviser, John Bolton – both of whom are deeply sceptical of the UN’s usefulness... [Her appointment] is widely being interpreted as bad news for the UN.”

“Barr and Mueller had a fine working relationship... where Mueller has real evidence of a crime, Barr will be his strongest prosecutorial ally; and where Mueller lacks evidence, Barr will expect him to close the case the way prosecutors close cases — without fanfare.”

National Review

Regarding Nauert, many posit that “in her time as the State Department's chief spokeswoman, Nauert has learned the ins and outs of the State Department bureaucracy. She's also learned the three keys to being a successful U.N. ambassador: being a team player, understanding U.S. foreign policy interests, and understanding the interests and nuances of other international actors.”